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UM freshman Al Blades Jr. makes his presence felt early, nets Hurricanes honor

It took a moment for the realization to sink in — and even then, Al Blades Jr. wasn’t quite sure if he’d heard things correctly.

With his teammates gathered around him and his coach publicly sharing which Hurricanes would serve as captains for No. 21 Miami’s first true road game of the year at Toledo, Blades thought he heard his name.

But it seemed almost impossible. A freshman who’d played in just two collegiate games? Richt wasn’t really saying Blades’ name, was he?

“He called my name and I just … I still was like in disbelief.